The federal government reports wages to individual states each quarter. After you file your claim, Pennsylvania will request wage and separation information from your former federal employer.
Supporting documentation should include:
- Standard Form 8, Notice to Federal Employee About Unemployment Compensation;
- Standard Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action, or its equivalent; and,
- and other documents such as Form W-2, Withholding Tax Statement, and/or pay stubs.
Supporting claim documentation should be uploaded or emailed to uchelp@pa.gov. If these documents are not immediately available, file an initial application for benefits until they become available.
The wage information you provide will establish financial eligibility, subject to correction upon receipt of information from the federal agency. Benefit payments made may have to be adjusted based on information from the federal agency. Any amount of underpayment of benefits will be promptly adjusted, and any amount of overpayment of benefits may have to be repaid or offset against future benefits.
Pennsylvania cannot use certain types of federal work to establish a claim. For example, if you worked under contract and received an IRS 1099 instead of a W-2, you may not be able to use those wages on your claim. The federal agency advises the state whether the work you provided was "federal civilian employment" for UC claim purposes. If you disagree with the findings, you can file an appeal.
Unemployment benefits may be payable, in PA as set forth in the federal law (5 U.S.C. 8501 et seq.), if you were a former federal civilian employee, and:
- Your last official duty station was in Pennsylvania;
- You are a resident of Pennsylvania and your last official duty station was outside of the U.S.; and,
- You were employed in Pennsylvania after separation from your federal employer.